Evil is Only Skin Deep: The Reboot
by Mr. Alaska
Summary: On the night when the Kyuubi attacked Konohagakure, what if something went wrong with the seal binding the fox to Naruto? Now having claws, fangs, fox ears and a tail, Naruto grows up being treated as if he was a demon himself. So in a village where no one wants him, will Naruto turn into the beast they all fear? Or is there someone who is able to restore his humanity?
Author's Notes: Yes, that is right. This is happening. You all asked for it, and it is my responsibility to honor your wishes. Though, I feel as if I should clear some things up for you all, since I've gotten more than a few messages asking me the same shit. First off, I am fully intending to see all these stories through to the end. I will not lose motivation like I did three years ago, so don't any of you worry about that. Also, some of you take the polls as me not having any motivation to write the stories, so I instead left it to all of you to decide.

 **That isn't true.**

I merely used the polls as a way to hype you all up and get the word out about me improving all of my most popular stories. I knew from the start that it was going to be a resounding YES on rather or not to do a reboot. The polls were just a formality. So to all of you who are still thinking I don't have the spark for writing anymore, please abandon the thought. I am back, and that isn't going to change any time soon. Sure, I may not update nearly as often as I used to, but I will stick with all of you till the bitter end, nevertheless.

As you can all tell by the title, this is going to be the reboot of my most popular Naruto story, Evil is Only Skin Deep. For reasons beyond me, despite how shoddy and poorly thought out it was, this had been my most popular story by far in terms of reviews. 1220+ reviews? I mean damn! That beat out my Naruto/Deadpool story Son of a Mercenary by a comfortable margin easily… Which I have also decided to reboot. So, seeing as how it is my most sought after story, it would only be fair to give it a good revamp as well, and see if we can't make it into an even better and more thought out story. One with actual character depth and development, better grammar and spelling, description, etc. So, without further ado, let's give this story the attention for detail it deserved in the very beginning!

 _WOOHOO!_

 **Chapter 1: The Fox Boy**

As the clouds overlooking the borders of Konohagakure continued to take darker shades of gray, rain steadily began to pour down upon the sleepy ninja village. Slowly, a strong wind began to pick up as well, which was odd weather considering it was mind-Spring. But despite the strange weather that had plagued the village for the past week, things were about as eventful as it could have been. Graduations for the Ninja Academy were only a day away, signifying that yet another crop of fresh Gennin were about to take their first steps in becoming the next generation of shinobi.

People were always happy that time of year, and not even the abnormally rainy weather was enough to dampen their spirits. Even as the rain came down, there were people setting up shop and decorating their businesses with colorful banners, celebrating the yearly graduation. It was tradition, of sorts. No one knows exactly when it had started, but it had become a thing regardless. The dangers that came with becoming a leaf ninja were no secret to anyone. No one can see into the future and see when something horrible might happen, and on the day of graduation, the village holds a small, modest celebration, just to send them out on a high note.

Because be it a D-ranked or S-ranked mission, Gennin or Jonin, your life could be put in jeopardy at any moment without warning.

"Stop, you little thief!" However, whilst many of the shop-keepers were busy finishing up on preparations for the next day's festivities, they all suddenly looked up when they heard someone shouting from the rooftops. "You damn demon, get back here this instant!"

Everyone on the street all took steps back as the shouting grew nearer, trying to get a good angle. Leaping atop the buildings on all fours was a 14-year old blond boy, with four men clad in black and animal masks trailing directly behind them. All of the shop-keepers collectively sighed and shook their heads, before going about their own business.

This, after all, was also a norm in Konohagakure.

The men wearing the kabuki-style animal masks were known as the Anbu, the special ops shinobi force that answered directly to the leader of the village, the Hokage. They leapt from rooftop to rooftop in perfect synchronization, brandishing steel nets or kusari-fundo. "I said STOP, Uzumaki," the Anbu in the bear mask shouted, which only aroused a conniving snicker from the boy. Despite being a tact-force that mainly dealt with assassinations, they were given specific orders concerning their target. However, said target was currently many paces ahead of his pursuers, rendering their ensnaring weapons less than effective. "This is no laughing matter, Uzumaki! This is the fourth complaint this week! This needs to stop!"

The boy they were chasing after was none other that Konohagakure's own resident jinchuuriki and ne'er-do-well Naruto Uzumaki, container of the dreaded Kyuubi.

The 14-year old was a sight to be seen. Naruto dashed across the building on all fours with impressive prowess, maintaining to good distance between him and the Anbu. Naruto's normally spiky blond hair was dampened by the rain and drooped back as the wind rushed past him during the pursuit. His body was lean and muscular from countless pursuits in the past, a fact made clear thanks to him only wearing a fishnet shirt on his torso. Naruto looked back at the Anbu with piercing crimson eyes and laughed, revealing his fangs in a smug smirk.

However, the most noticeable traits the boy obtained from the flawed sealing of the Kyuubi was the fact that now he had not just a pair of pointy orange fox ears, but a four foot long orange furry tail.

"Aw, c'mon guys!" Naruto cackled as he used his claws to scale a large building. "You can do better than that, can't you? I mean, you guys are **ANBU** , for crying out loud!" Naruto's taunting didn't fall short as the squad followed suit up the side of the building. One of the Anbu hurled his kusari-fundo up at the boy in an attempt to trip him up, putting an end to the chase. Unfortunately, the projectile was intercepted by Naruto's snake-like tail, which straightened up and allowed the kusari-fundo to wrap around it instead.

"Close," Naruto laughed, sticking his tongue out, "but not good enough!" Using his tail as a sling, the boy sent the projectile right back down at the man who had thrown it, ensnaring his legs. He was about to plummet down to the streets below when two other Anbu stopped short and each grabbed an arm, keeping him from falling. As he climbed over the edge of the tall structure, Naruto couldn't help put let out an excited chuckle as he looked down at the brown leather sack attached to his gray sweat pants.

Now running on only two legs, Naruto continued his pace as the last Anbu leapt up from the side of the building right behind him. "C'mon, humans! Earn your keep and catch up with me!" Naruto stuck out his tongue and raised a middle finger at the Anbu, who was finally showing signs of fatigue from the extensive chase.

Wanting to show off a little, Naruto cracked an evil smirk and raised an eyebrow. Going back to all fours again, he took a deep intake of air. Suddenly, crimson red chakra started leaking from his body, forming a red silhouette of a creature with elongated ears and nine tails, all whipping back and forth. The very rain that fell around his person evaporated when it came into contact with the red aura surrounding him.

With an explosion of speed Naruto rocketed forward, leaving cracks on the roof where he had pushed off. In the blink of an eye, the jinchuuriki was suddenly six rooftops away from the Anbu behind him. Steam from the evaporated rain surrounded the boy and left a trail behind him as he lunged forward at speeds that rendered him nothing more than a red flash to normal eyes.

Seeing the futility of the chase, the Anbu reluctantly slowed his pace and changed directions, heading back towards the others in his squad.

"Hahahahaha! That's what I thought, humans!" Naruto cackled, the red chakra surrounding him dissipating as he slowly returned to his regular pace. "At least you kept up for this long, though! Keep this up and you guys might actually make me WORK for an escape! Hahaha-!"

 _WHAM!_

Naruto, not paying attention to where he was going, failed to see Iruka Umino, one of the instructors at the Ninja Academy, standing at the end of the building before him. So, before Naruto knew it, Iruka crouched down and extended his arm, effectively _clotheslining_ the unaware troublemaker as he ran past. It took all of the Chuunin's strength to prevent being pulled back as well from Naruto's speed. And, since the boy wasn't expecting it, he couldn't brace himself or power through the unforeseen obstacle in time.

Before he knew it, Naruto was flat on his back and with the wind knocked out of him, with an enraged Iruka towering over him with his hands on his hips.

"This has to stop, Naruto-kun," Iruka scolded, placing his foot down on Naruto's tail, causing the toppled boy to go stiff. "It's always the same with you. Skipping classes. Stealing from the villagers. Vandalizing. Destruction of private property. Getting into fights. The list goes on!"

Naruto squirmed underneath his sensei, but it was of no use. His tail was virtually his only weakness. If enough pressure were to be placed upon his overly sensitive animalistic appendage, it would send a surge of crippling pain all throughout his being, rendering him immobilized. So, gritting his fangs, Naruto glared up at his sensei, unable to do anything else.

"Naruto-kun," Iruka sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation, "you can't keep behaving like this. By this time tomorrow, you won't simply be considered a village resident. You will be a shinobi, and will be held accountable for your actions. When that happens, Sarutobi-sama won't be able to look the other way when you pull stunts like this. Stealing from a shopkeeper and resisting the Anbu are both serious offenses for a shinobi, you know? If you pull something like this with the status of Gennin, it won't be looked upon as a childish prank. Do you understand?"

The rain continued to pour down. Luckily for the immobilized Naruto, having his sensei looming directly over him made it so he wasn't getting soaked…as much. Looking off to the side, Naruto scuffed. "We both know that I'm always going to be despised by the village, and don't even bother trying to deny that," he growled, earning a raised eyebrow from the adult standing above him. "I'm a demon, remember?"

Iruka opened his mouth to say something when the sound of approaching footsteps caught his attention. Easing up on Naruto's tail ever so slightly, he turned and saw the four Anbu who had been chasing Naruto come up behind him. "I've got things under control," the instructor assured, raising both hands up defensively. "I will take to Sarutobi-sama."

But the Anbu leader wasn't having any.

"We have been given orders to bring him back to Sarutobi-sama, Iruka-san," he stated in a monotone voice, as he and the rest of the mask shinobi proceeded to advance forward. "We appreciate your assistance in helping us catch him, nevertheless. I will note your involvement in my report to the Hokage. But please allow us to take things from here."

Iruka wasn't given the chance to respond. Before he knew it, all four Anbu were behind the Chuunin and upon Naruto, confining him in chains and nets.

 **Hokage's Office**

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at his desk, his pipe lazily dangling from his lips as he went over the mountain of paperwork the piled up before him, all of which concerned the reprehensible actions of one Naruto Uzumaki.

He was so tired, a feeling that was brought on by many different reasons. The first being that his age was finally starting to catch up with him. There he was, a 68 year-old man, filling the roll of Hokage whilst others his age would've been retired long before. The tedious paperwork was mentally exhausting, going over every single detail, signing off or denying requests accordingly.

It was at that time another source of his constant exhaustion walked through the door…Well, to be more precise, was dragged through the door by the Anbu leader. Thrashing underneath layers of chains and nets was Naruto Uzumaki, trying desperately to break free of his captor. Taking the pipe from his lips, Sarutobi sighed, letting out a long stream of gray smoke. "Thank you," he acknowledged, raising up a palm at the Anbu captain. Propping the ensnared shinobi-to-be in the chair across of Sarutobi, the masked man bowed respectfully. "I can handle him from here," he added, nodding his head in response. "You are dismissed."

With that, the Anbu suddenly disappeared in a puff of white smoke, leaving both Naruto and Sarutobi as the only ones in the office.

The old man looked upon the boy sitting across from him with a tired frown. Naruto did the same, but his frown consisted more of annoyance and boredom, since this was FAR from the first time he had been dragged into the Hokage's office. Twice a week was a normal for the trouble-maker. But this was the FOURTH time this week, something that hadn't happened before.

"So, what was it this time, Naruto-kun?" Sarutobi asked softly, placing his pipe down on his desk and slumping back into his chair.

"… Stole some fruit from a stupid shop-keeper who wouldn't sell me anything," Naruto mumbled, looking off to the side. Normally, Sarutobi would be scolding him just like Iruka would. But, much to Naruto's surprise, the old man sounded far more calm than usual.

"Anyone get hurt?"

"If you don't count the prides of the _"elite"_ Anbu you sent after me, no." Underneath the three layers of netting cocooning the boy, Sarutobi could see a toothy grin appear across the jinchuuriki's face. "I suggest having more strict requirements for becoming apart of the Hokage's special forces, Sarutobi-jiichan."

"I assure you, the requirements are acceptable, Naruto-kun," Sarutobi countered cooly. "You can't possibly blame us _mere_ _humans_ for not having the powers of one of the legendary tailed beasts to fall back on, now can you?" Naruto grunted a chuckle and rolled his eyes. "We actually have to WORK for such power."

"Would make things more fun," Naruto snickered, nodding his head up and down.

"This is not a laughing matter, Naruto-kun." Naruto's ears perked up when he finally heard a change in the old man's tone. He still didn't sound angry, but there was a noticeable hint of seriousness in his voice. Sarutobi stood up and walked over to Naruto abruptly, causing the boy to flinch slightly.

"Tomorrow is the Gennin graduation, signifying your first step in becoming a shinobi of your village." As he spoke, Sarutobi proceeded to undo the kusari-fundo and nets entrapping the boy. "That means these _"incidents"_ are going to have to cease, immediately. My protection can only do so much. Once you are a shinobi, you will be held accountable for your actions…"

Having gotten all the chains and nets from the boy's person, Sarutobi sighed and shook his head. Naruto wasn't even listening to him, something that had unfortunately also became a habit concerning Minato's legacy. Naruto sent up an uninterested half stare at his superior, picking through his teeth with a clawed finger. "So? It's not like I'm EVER going to be accepted by you people anyway. So why bother trying? I'd rather do what I want and be hated, instead of trying to be a goody-goody-two-shoes and be hated anyway."

"… Naruto-kun…"

"They kicked me out of the orphanage when I was six, old man," Naruto interrupted, abandoning his bored demeanor for one more irritated. Sarutobi straightened his back when he reminded of that little fact. "No other orphanage would accept me. No family would take me in. And why would they? After all, I _am_ the reincarnation of the mighty Kyuubi, aren't I? The same Kyuubi who nearly wiped Konohagakure off the face of the map."

"You are NOT the demon itself," Sarutobi all but shouted, slamming his fist down on his desk, causing the leaning stack of papers to cascade onto the floor. "You are the demon's jailor. You keep him from doing what he did 14 years ago. Your father and mother gave their lives to make that happen, Naruto-kun. They wanted you to be seen as a hero…"

"Oh, and what a resounding success that turned out to be, right?" Sarutobi cringed at Naruto's harsh and sarcastic retort. "Tell me something, old man. What do I have growing out behind me?" His head motioned towards his tail. "On that note, what are THESE things?" Naruto reached up, taking a large fox-like ear in one hand and a whisker in the other. Sarutobi didn't give an answer immediately, so Naruto snarled and continued.

"They gave up their lives turning me INTO the fucking Kyuubi," he growled, earning a horrified/hurt look from the old man before him. "Don't sell me that bullshit and tell me I'm a normal person, old man. All they did was make sure I could NEVER be human, so why pretend like I am?" Without warning Naruto stood up, knocking over the chair he was sitting in. "Face it, Sarutobi-jiichan. I might as well be the Kyuubi, because this shitty village will never treat me as if I wasn't, regardless of how I treat them. Besides, I've stopped thinking about being human long ago, and that isn't changing anytime soon."

With that, Naruto turned on his heels and made his way out the door of the office.

 _To Be Continued…_

Well, there you have it, my lovely supporters. The first installment in the revamped Evil is Only Skin Deep. I know, it's a somewhat shorter chapter than my last update, but this is just to set the stage of the whole story. I promise that my next updates will be longer. Pinky swear. And I'm also sorry for the long wait since my last update. I trying to pace myself when it comes to writing and do other things outside of FanFiction to keep my interest, like watching anime, movies etc. So updates won't be SUPER frequent, but there will be a steady supply. But enough of all that. What did you all think of this second attempt? Can't want to hear from all of you guys. **Also, if you see any grammar/spelling mistakes, PLEASE let me know so I can fix it asap. ;)**


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